Dissension
by Kaydern
Summary: Gomen about my spelling in advance- spellcheck died on me. AU, possibly NejiNaru and SasuNaru yaoiness. Good luck finding Naruto among my OC's. Reincarnation fic, with a twist. And possibly a few twitches. There will also probably be a tinesy bit of male
1. Chapter 1

A young man was walking down a dirt path.

He wasn't too uncommon-looking. Of average height, perhaps 5'6". His blond hair was pulled back into a small ponytail at the base of his neck, as per the fad. If the boy turned his head just right in the sunlight it glinted red, but even strawberry blonds weren't that uncommon, Shikamaru mused.

From his vantage point on Hokage Cliff, Shikamaru Nara couldn't make out his target's eye-color, although they appeared to be a dark shade. The thing even slightly odd about him was the way the stranger held himself. Shikamaru surmised the other boy walked like an old man, dispite his age- roughly 15. Even this didn't rouse the lazy student, as he was prone to such a posture.

Obviously there was an optical illusion to explain the way the blond's feet didn't quite touch the ground. Shikamaru pushed a few rouge strands of black hair out of his eyes. What else could it be?

"Troublesome." The black-haired boy muttered, before pushing himself upwards with his arms. Eventually he adjusted himself into a sitting position that was much more comfortable than laying on the ground without stirring up the foliage. He leaned forward and pulled his binoculars back from the end of the ledge he was sitting on. He would never have gone to spy on a new student of his own merit, even if tradition stated it was his job.

He sighed. He had never expected being a Chuunin to be so active! Tradition hadn't motivated Shikamaru either, but his roommates had promised to clear the dorm for him. Shikamaru preffered resting on the roof of the boy's dorm. The problem was he shared his cabin with Choji, Kiba and Shino, who never failed to create chaos in the form of loud noise. There was no way anyone could relax with them prancing around below him. He kept waiting for the roof to cave in.

The grounds were off-limits, so Shikamaru couldn't stay there undetected long enough to watch the clouds properly. Not to mention the punishments the sensei's came up with were even more troublesome.

So when Shikamaru's three roommates united under Choji and promised to stay away from their dorms until dinner, Shikamaru had jumped. Or at least done the Nara boy's action equivilant with jumping- smiling. Shikaumaru had agreed to spy on all the new students,but so far the only one he could find was this boy. He was about Shikamaru's age, but there were two other students arriving, one older and one younger.

The other reason he agreed to spy on them was curious about the new students. He was loathe to admit it though, because intrest usually led to involvement. And if there was anything more troublesome than people, it was being involved in their affairs. Involvement always led to something strenous that had to be done at night and steal Shikamaru's sleep away.

Unfortunately, he was still curious. It was uncommon for a teacher at Kono academy to have children, let alone for them to pass the entrance exams if they hadn't been trained for it. That one of the students would instantly be raised to Chuunin level was absurd.

The Nara boy pondered the stawberry blond he had seen. Dispite all his amazing skills, he looked... normal. He had been walking down the path to the teaher's quarters with a wistful expression on his face and a steady temp to his step.

Shikamaru slumped back to his previous observation point sadly. He brought his binoculars up to the point the boy should be now if he had mantained his pace. He moved his face forward so he could see through the binoculars, gleefully anticipating returning to his roommates with nothing of interest. He almost moaned when the viewspace was devoid of life, but the boy quickly walked into sight.

'Right on time- very predicitable...' He sighed happily, until the strawberry blond turned to Shikamaru,

'Impossible...' and waved.

Shikamaru grumbled as he put away the tools he'd been using.

Now he was interested, dammit!

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

A/n- Ano... next chapter of Dissension. Please, cry for my spell-check some more, it's still dead. I shall fix it later, I hope. But for the time being please suffer through my spelling mistakes.  
  
Koori's story, again. This whole friggen thing is going to be written by me, so watch out for the plot. It bites. Cheesemaker only know when I'll get this all typed up.  
  
Everyone glomp Korvvy (from deviantart(dot)com) for helping me with this- he spell-checked the whole thing.  
  
Summary- Again, this is a Naruto AU fanfiction. A reincarnation fic, to be exact. The hidden village of the leaf has continued to teach, but not in the way you'd expect. Kono academy is now a training place for diplomats. And the school has three new students. Possible SasuNaru and NejiNaru. Just for the hell of it.

Disclaimer- The characters and personalities represented in this fanfiction are not the property of one Koori Yuki, nor is she making any money off them. Thankies.

A gray-haired boy glared at the map again. This school sucked, and he'd flunked out of enough to know. Private schools were stupid with all their fancy uniforms and stupid grounds, but a school so big it had its own town? How sick is that?  
  
The young man grimaced as he recalled the look on Iruka's face every time he flunked out of a school. The worst part was Iruka-sensei taught at all of the schools, so he knew the teen didn't do it on purpose. Sensei always looked so sad then. The greyhead scuffed his foot on the dirt road guiltily. It wasn't his fault he got sick so much! He studied really hard, as much as he could stay awake. The soft baritone of his younger relation interrupted his thoughts,  
  
"We're going to miss orientation if you don't hurry up."  
  
"Who cares about some snotty private academy orient-thingy anyway?" The older greyhead muttered.  
  
"Because, Danny, this is the best private school in the country. And because it took three months of talking to even convince Iruka-sensei to apply here. And-" Daniel sighed. "-because Iruka-sensei's work is paying for our tuition, which was hard to pull off after you failed out of the last school. Most importantly, because this is Konoha." The baritone voice explained for perhaps the third time that morning. Shamefaced, the boy called Daniel glanced down. His younger companion and the owner of the painfully rational baritone were holding the hand of a petite albino boy. The smallest boy was watching the proceedings without much interest. Daniel glared at the strawberry-blond.  
  
"I hate it when people call me Danny!" He shouted, finger pointed angrily at the offender. All guilt was forgotten, as usual. The blond sighed.  
  
"Fine, Daniel. But we still can't be late. Can I have the map now?" He asked calmly. Daniel stuck out his tongue.  
  
"I'm doing just fine!" He argued, clutching the map.  
  
"No matter which direction you start off in, we always end up at Ichiraku's." Daniel's companion deadpanned. Daniel sweat dropped.  
  
"I need a big breakfast. Unlike some people Jake, I don't just grow like a weed without good food." Daniel huffed. Jacob didn't bother to express his own distaste of the other's choice in nicknames, or the fact that ramen was not healthy food. It wasn't worth another fight.  
  
"It's not my fault I'm taller than you, you know." Jacob stated. Daniel jumped to glance around and make sure no one had heard the blond. When the older was satisfied no one knew he was the shorter boy, he glared at Jacob.  
  
"Only by an inch!" He whispered fiercely. The little albino coughed a few times in a vague mimicry of laughter. Jacob nodded understandingly.  
  
"See? Even Noah thinks you're being unreasonable. Now please hand me the map." Jacob pushed, keeping his voice as friendly as possible. Daniel stuck out his upper lip  
  
"I'm doing just fine, I said." He replied stubbornly. Noah tugged on Daniel's uniform sleeve. The teen waved him off.  
  
"Not now Noah-chan, I'm busy." He murmured absently. Noah sniffed, and a single tear fell down his cheek. Although neither boy was watching, when this happened both Jacob and Daniel jerked as if they'd been slapped. Daniel looked down at the pale little shadow.  
  
"What is it?" He asked softly. Noah wiped away his tear and signed haltingly,  
  
'please give aniki the map.' His hands spoke slowly through the motions, and both older brothers looked pained. Daniel handed Jacob the map helplessly.  
  
Jacob straightened the map and sweat dropped. How could anyone get lost with this map? Iruka has used a red marker to highlight the easiest path to the administrative building. Not only that, but Ichiraku and other landmarks were labeled if they were along the path. Jacob's eyes widened.  
  
"Dan, Hokage Tower is the administrative building." He said softly. Daniel scratched the back of his neck.  
  
"The what?"  
  
"The place we want to get to is Hokage Tower!" Jacob shouted. Daniel's eyes lit up.  
  
"Why didn't you just say so?" He shouted back, and then hobbled off in the correct direction. Jacob shook his head and followed after him after grabbing Noah's hand again. Noah signed;  
  
'he took off his brace again.' Jacob nodded and started walking quickly after the greyhead.  
  
"I know. I brought it with us." He stated. Noah nodded sadly. The two boys caught up with their older sibling outside a small drug store. Daniel was hopping from one foot to the other impatiently.  
  
"This is Ino's flower shop, right?" The greyhead shouted. Jacob hurried over to him, tugging Noah behind. "Do you think she lives here?" Daniel asked wistfully.  
  
"Here's your brace." Was Jacob's only response. The blond tossed the bit of metal and gauze at Daniel, who caught it and made a face.  
  
"I don't need this." He whined, but suddenly his tone changed. "Really, though. Do you think she still lives there?" He asked. Jacob shook his head.  
  
"We both know Choji and Ino moved out to live with Sasuke and Sakura 400 years ago. Jacob stated. "And you do too need that brace. You're limping." The blond finished. Daniel huffed.  
  
"Fine. But only so we can get to the opening thing." Daniel smiled at Noah, and the child smiled back.  
  
"At lease the Hyuugas are still knocking around here." Daniel added once his brace was on and the three were walking through the colorful streets of Konoha. The greyheaded boy jumped up to touch an arch crossing over the sidewalk, and wobbled upon landing. Jacob tensed defensively, but the hyper boy eventually leveled out and jumped onward.  
  
By the time the three children reached the administrative building, Daniel's playful pace had slowed. The sun had finally made it into the narrow walkways of Konoha and Jacob shielded his eyes from it.  
  
"You sprained your other ankle, didn't you?" The blond stated when they started up the stairs to the old Hokage Tower.  
  
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't..." Daniel's voice trailed off.  
  
TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Hah. I posted more. Aren't you proud, too?  
  
Yeah, spell-check is still dead, so if the magically sexy Korvvy wants to spell check it for me... well, kisses for him. On the cheek o' course. (rolls eyes) Pervs.  
  
Anyways, I actually have up to about chappie six written out. It just isn't ready for consumption yet. I'll get it up eventually, my pretties.  
  
Summary- This is Naruto fanfiction, love if you will. There will be yaoi. I played with Neji and Daniel (my semi-OC) a little, but they are not a couple. I think. The only things I will not argue with as far as couples go is SasuNaru, Shino/Kiba and Shikamaru and Temari. I don't know if dat couple will appear at all, but I'm not putting Maru-chan with anyone else. You can offer anything else and if I don't hear any arguements it shall happen. It's also a reincarnation fic, with plot everywhere watch out for it, because it smells funny.  
  
Disclaimer- This is a fanfic so I don't own any of the characters. I own the idea of Daniel, Jacob and Noah, bless their little souls.

* * *

A voice even deeper than Jacob's said,  
  
"You recognize it? It's a 1/34 sculptor of the original face of Hokage Cliff. It was a momument built to honor the leaders of the town almost 450 years ago. It's a perfect replica down to the last detail." The young man reciting this information sounded politely bored. Jacob glanced over and noted aforementioned young man had pale purple eyes and black hair with purple highlights. It was undoubtedly Neji, although Jacob already knew he wasn't part of Hyuuga anymore. That clan was far to proud to allow one of their own to be a simple civil servant, even if he was part of the branch clan. Jacob was glad he had been born with a different fate.  
  
"The Sandiame should have a crack," Daniel said softly, "right here." He traced a jagged line over the third sculptor from the forehead to the bridge of the nose. Jacob started, and Neji almost looked interested.  
  
"Correct. At the beginning of the second great war Konohagakure suffered a defeat at the hands of a former Konoha citizen." Neji recited, eyes sliding shut again.  
  
"Orohimaru."Daniel muttered venomously. Neji nodded, slightly intrigued. Daniel's hand traced the invisible splinter reverently. "That teme killed the Third." He hissed. Neji looked impressed, and slightly shocked.  
  
"Forgive my expression. Few people actually know the history of Konohagakure. Since it became a resort town to compliment the national park, interest in the towns history has virtually disapeared. Most visitors don't know Konoha used to be a major power in these countries." Neji explained, his voice showing his own sorrow at the loss time had delt his home. Jacob nodded.  
  
"I would imagine the only original buildings from that time period are the ones preserved by the academy?" Jacob asked. Unconciously the three boys had huddled together, forming a tight knot. Purple eyes blinked owlishly at them, looking from Daniel to Jacob to Noah and back again. Something shown behind Neji's eyes fomr a moment, but it disapeared just as quickly. Finally he nodded to answer Jacob's question, the awkward silence shattered.  
  
"Aside from the ancestral homes of the clans. The clans that keep summer homes here include-" Neji started again. Jacob swore the boy was meant to be a tour guide, dispite how much his pride objected. Without the crush of this clan's expectations, Neji's natural love of history had flourished. And Konoha had quite a history. Not to mention the boy warmed right up to people- at least hopelessly honest people like Daniel.  
  
"Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Nara and ... ah, I can't recall it's name. I know it was known as the bug clan..." Daniel finished. Jacob bit his tongue to halt his own answer, but Neji's smile for Daniel grew.  
  
"Very good. You must be the new Chuuning. You obviously deserve it." Neji said grudingly. Daniel blushed at the praise, but Jacob's gaze grew calculating. To think that Neji could be so assuming! Time had softened the ninja immeasurably.  
  
"Actually, I'm not. That honor would go to my younger brother. Neji, meet Jacob," Daniel pointed to the blond, "Noah," this time he gestured to the younger boy, "and I'm Daniel." he finished.  
  
"Well met." Neji said warmly. The black haired boy almost started puzzling over how Daniel knew his name, but Jacob interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"So what does being a Chuunin here at the academy entail?" The said smoothly. Neji shook himself out of his introspective moment.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't tell you, I have been instructed to show you the grounds, introduce you to your new classmates, and nothing else." Neji said just as smoothly. Jacob frowned.  
  
"I was under the impression orientation is being held in the school gymnasium?" Jacob asked. Neji smirked at him.  
  
"Not for you three. You destiny is quite different." The purple haired boy said msyteriously. Daniel snorted.  
  
"I make my own destiny." The greyhead said challengingly. Neji smiled genuinely at this.  
  
"Your skills certainly got you involved in this." He agreed mysteriously, and while Daniel rolled his eyes Neji asked, "Shall we go?" Noah nodded up at him, and Jacob, who had been ignoring Daniel and Neji's pleasant talk, looked up inquisitively.  
  
"Let's." Jacob interrupted Daniel, who frowned unhappily. The blond offered his shoulder to Daniel.  
  
"What?" Daniel snarled.  
  
"You sprained your ankle, remember?" Jacob said. Daniel blinked pathetically at him. "Don't tell me you forgot!" Jacob growled. "You always forget when you hurt yourself and make it a hundred times worse! You're so foolish!" Jacob yelled. Daniel lowered his gaze, and Noah sniffed. Neji stared on in horror.  
  
"I can help?" He offered. Daniel jumped at this, his expression all excitement again. Jacob rolled his eyes when Daniel actually glomped Neji. The quartet headed out.  
  
Jacob pulled Noah along by the hand and Daniel leaned heavily against Neji. The purple-haired boy was tall enough that Daniel could snuggle into his side. Jacob muttered something about how he was 'surprised Neji hadn't offered to carry Danny bridal style.' He glowered at nothing in particular when he recognized he was walking the same path he'd found yesterday. Like every other street in the area, this footpath was much too small for cars.  
  
The group turned off at an even smaller sideroad which wound itself into a thick forest. One building was visible on the right, a large circual house with grass growing on the roof. It was only two stories hight, but from this perspective the circumference was quite large. Thick forest growth turned the pathway into a mere deertrail. Jacob glanced at a small hill to his left, and when a door was visible partially under the slope, he realized it was actually a building. It was a dugout, consisting mostly of an underground structure that the blond could only guess at. Daniel was far to busy conversing with Neji, and Jacob hoped he didn't say anything too stupid- that boy couldn't keep a secret to save his life. Suddenly Neji roused himself from his comfortable murmurings with 'Danny'.  
  
"The average students are in the private school in that direction, " Neji pointed past the circular building. "and all the teaching staff will be busy living up to our name as the best acedemy in the Fire Country. After 15 o'clock the instucters will come to us. The usual ratio is three students to a teacher. There is a large training area over there," Neji pointed to the left and as the kept walking Jacob noted the training area came into view. It wa full of training material for martial artists, but today must be a free day. Only the most diligent students could be seen. "We passed the boy's dorms on our left." Neji guestured back to the hill Jacob had noted. Daniel scrunched his face up.  
  
"What do you mean? Those don't look like rooms." Neji chuckled.  
  
"The majority of the building is underground. It's less visible from all angles, and the temperature stays the same for the whole year. There are four cabins for the boys and three for the girls. The closest cabin belongs to myself and two other young men, one of whom is a foreign exchange student from Kaze acedemy in Wind country. Your cabin is the furthest, about a five minute walk south of my cabin." Neji finished. Daniel blinked.  
  
"Where are the girl's cabins?" He asked. Neji huffed disaprovingly, but he pointed to the general area on the other side of the training ground."  
  
"They're on the far side." Neji confirmed with words.  
  
"Now from what I understand, Noah here is going to the same room as us, correct?" Jacob added. Neji nodded.  
  
"Who will be teaching him?" Jacob pressed, the proud older sibling. In their previous schools Noah had been without a teacher. Neji answered  
  
"Ishikawa Moegi, Sarutobi Hanobi and Noah here will be taught by Iruka-senei."  
  
"Now you said 'average students' are going to school over there. What does that make us?" Jacob asked, fearing the answer. Will this many of the old Leaf ninja gathered... what had Iruka sensei gotten them involved in? Neji smiled.  
  
"Perhaps you really do deserve your position as Chuunin. This way." Neji said evasively. The boys followed, slightly disturbed by Neji's mysterious attitude. It didn't suit him at all.  
  
"We are teh elite children of the Fire Country. We are..." Jacob sweatdropped in the dramatic pause. He had been afraid of this.  
  
"...Ninja." Neji finished. He had led them to a crossroad in the trail, and on the left the rest of the training ground was revealed. It was much, much larger than Jacob had assumed, and full of painfully familiar faces.  
  
What really caught the three boy's eyes was the momument at the center of the crossroads. It was a life-sized statue of Uzumaki Naruto. Daniel pulled Neji over so he could read the plaque at the foot of the granite figure.  
  
"Naruto, the hero of Konohagakure. . ." Daniel said in an awed voice. He and Jacob exchanged amazed expressions, and Jacob forgot all his previous misgivings in a flash.  
  
"The Hero?" Daniel repeated- it sounded too good to be true. This might just be the place.  
  
Noah clutched Jacobs hand fearfully.  
  
TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

a/n- Anyways, I actually have up to about chappie six written out. It just isn't ready for consumption yet. I'll get it up eventually, my pretties.  
  
Summary- This is Naruto fanfiction, love if you will. There will be yaoi. I played with Neji and Daniel (my semi-OC) a little, but they are not a couple. I think. The only things I will not argue with as far as couples go is SasuNaru, Shino/Kiba and Shikamaru and Temari. I don't know if dat couple will appear at all, but I'm not putting Maru-chan with anyone else. You can offer anything else and if I don't hear any arguements it shall happen. It's also a reincarnation fic, with plot everywhere watch out for it, because it smells funny.

Disclaimer- This is a fanfic so I don't own any of the characters. I own the idea of Daniel, Jacob and Noah, bless their little souls.

* * *

Sakura brushed her hair down self-consciously. Ino glared at her hair with a sense of wounded indignity in the dank of the forest, but Sakura ignored her best friend in favor of her cousin.

"Sasuke?" The tree-soaked sunlight was absorbed by the Uchiha boy. He glanced down at Sakura, and his eyes narrowed. Ino pondered running all through the forest, the training grounds and back to her safe little dorm, but in the end she decided it was un-kunoichi like behavior. Women ninja never ran from an ally.

"Nani." The dark-haired ninja protégé stated gruffly, proving you could turn a question into an accusation. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"What's with he attitude, nii-chan?" I just wanted to know what you thought of my hair." Sakura growled right back. Years of training against her cousin's icy attitude had given her a surprisingly firm voice of her own. Sasuke didn't like it because it sounded like his mother used to. Ino didn't like it because no one should be allowed to shout at the great Sasuke-kun. She didn't voice her rather high-pitched opinion because she didn't want to get in the way of her best friend when she was mad.

"It was fine before." Sasuke said eventually, completely uninterested in all the shojo-angst going on around him. Sakura sighed, tone hinting that she was equally defeated and exasperated. Ino looked on in awe, as she always did. No matter how much love she lavished on Sasuke-kun, he never responded to her like that. Hell, he never responded. Sakura was the only girl who could break through Uchiha Sasuke's chilling exterior. If they weren't first cousins, Ino would be forced to consider her serious competition. At one point Ino would have hated the thought of a boy ever coming between them, as it was she just thanked her lucky stars neither of them had any interest romantically.

Sakura stuck out her tongue at Sasuke, promising a rematch in her own friendly way. Ino delivered her traditional doomed plea for a date then they both vanished.

Sasuke stuck his tongue out at the way they had left.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted cheerfully. After a minute or so of walking they had reached the normal training area, where Kakashi was lounging about reading an old porno. He'd stolen it from the antique shop in Konoha, said it had 'seminal value'. After Sakura called the teacher looked over his shoulder at the academy student. His face didn't change, but Sakura was surprised at the serious lit in his voice,

"Don't try to be something you're not." He said. The Uchiha girl's visage changed slightly. She nodded and turned away from her sensei, her body language heavy. Ino watched all this without a clue to it's significance.

"What did I miss?" She asked, wondering off.

"Uchiha Sakura?" A deep voice that would have startled Ino spoke, but Sakura turned on it, already upset.

"What!?" She shouted. She was disturbed by the boys facing her. Neji was standing next to a young man she had never seen before. He was smiling happily about being allowed to lean on Neji, but Sakura was drawn to his appearance. He was only an inch of two shorter than Neji, but his bright hair and sunny blue eyes put him in a completely different league. It was impossible to compare the two. The boy seemed to recognize her, and his grin shrank exponentially.

"Uchiha?" He yelped, sounding very much like a puppy someone had stepped on. This rubbed Sakura all wrong, since the subject of her clan had always been a sore one.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" Sakura barked, sounding like the puppy owner who stepped on him. Sakura started at the guilt that crossed the greyhead's face.

"N-no... it's just different." Daniel said, slowly gaining in confidence. "Your hair looks nice though. Really brings out your eyes. They look almost ..." Daniel faltered.

"Luminescent?" Jacob supplied, his voice strained with disdain. Daniel sent him a dirty look. Noah held back a waterfall of tears.

"Luminescent, yeah." Daniel agree grudgingly. Sakura beamed, and the boy's tension was broken. It was a well known fact that the only thing worse than an angry female is an angry female ninja.

"You really think so?" She said. Daniel nodded enthusiastically.

"Makes you look more mature. Much better than pink." He added. Neji's eyes widened in shock, but Sakura appeared pleasantly surprised.

"How did you know?" She gasped excitedly. Jacob jumped in again, this time to Daniel's relief.

"My brother has always been a lucky guesser." He said. Sakura'a bubbling came to an abrupt halt.

"Oh..." She struggled for something to say, and turned to a thoughtful Neji.

"You wanted something, Neji-san?" She asked. Neji shook himself out of thought again.

"I was going to introduce you to our new students. Daniel-kun, Jacob-san and Noah-chan Umino." Neji said, having finally remembered his duties as host, gestured to each boy as he spoke their name. Daniel waved pleasantly to Sakura, Jacob nodded acknowledgment- obviously distracted by something behind Sakura's head- and Noah smiled sweetly. Sakura clapped her hands together in delight.

"I'm so glad I'll be seeing you every day!" So, Jacob-san must be the Chuunin, ne?" Sakura said. Jacob narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth do say something, but he was halted by a voice similar to Sakura's hollering,

"NO WAY! He doesn't look very tough!"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Allow me to introduce my kid sister, Akane." Sakura grumbled. Akane jumped out of a tree right in front of Jacob, who didn't even flinch. This didn't particularly annoy Akane, as she was too busy starting an argument with her sister.

"I am NOT your kid sister! We're twins!" Akane shouted. Jacob watched both of them with something akin to confusion. He was sure he had seen this Akane before...

Akane's long green hair shook violently as she shouted at her sister. Sakura sighed, the perfect picture of the long-suffering older sister. The black-haired girl brushed imaginary dust off her pink top and midnight blue capris while Akane continued to ramble on about something or another. Her clothes were well-suited for training, unlike Akane's black Chinese dress with green embroidery almost as outlandish as her silky hair. It was obvious Sakura was the better ninja, but her feminine vibe had not suffered. Jacob noted Akane sounded like Sakura when she was much younger. Did she have a split personality?

"Hey, jerk-off. I asked you if Sa-chan was right!" Akane shouted, and Jacob blinked. They much have finished arguing. He turned to Sakura, completely ignoring her twin.

"You are most perceptive, Uchiha-san." He said, allowing his voice to deepen with respect. Sakrua blushed at the praise, but Akane glared at the both of them.

"I still say there is no way a pretty-boy like you could be so powerful." The greenette was sticking to her guns. Jacob paid her no mind, pondering the existence of another Sakura- an Inner Sakura perhaps. Daniel, on the other hand, rushed to his sibling's defense.

"He's the strongest there is! I'll prove it to you!" Daniel turned to his brother, his right hand fisted in his customary stance for challenges. "Fight me, Jake." He shouted. Neji looked worried for Daniel's welfare.

Jacob looked annoyed. Several thoughts flashed through his mind but he remained silent, hoping Daniel would leave him alone. Daniel picked up on this, so he whipped out a kunai from his old school uniform. Jacob and the kunai vanished.

"I can play rough!" Daniel shouted as he threw it, but he staggered once he wasn't supported by Neji. "It's just because he isn't here, isn't it?" The greyhead shouted to the emptiness, on his knees. A slow shower of sakura blossoms fell around Daniel.

"Huh? What the hell is this?" The older boy asked. Neji, overestimating the danger Daniel was in, rushed to his side and shouted,

"Kai!" And the glowing flowers were repelled. Sakura did this also at about the same time, and Akane followed suit. Noah stood by himself, unaffected. Daniel appeared not to have noticed the potential danger he had been in.

"Genjutsu's aren't fair!" He yelled. Laughter echoed through the trees.

"You can't use Taijutsu as you are." Jacob's form appeared in a tree nearby Noah. Carefully he walked down the tree trunk, and offered Noah a hand. Daniel fumed at being snubbed so completely, as well as completely forgetting about Noah in his haste to battle. The little boy scrubbed his eyes and allowed himself to be led over to Sakura and Akane by the hand. There was a pained silence while Jacob walked with the child, but Daniel made it quite clear he would never endanger Noah.

Once Jacob had handed over Noah with a promise they would protect him, he stepped away from the younger boy. Daniel didn't waste his chance- as soon as the albino's care was assured, he flung a shuriken at Jacob, who dodged. Once the shuriken was out of Jacob's line of sight, it turned into an exact copy of Daniel. Jacob spun around when the clone shouted,

"Sexy no Jutsu!" The clouds of censorship had barely begun to fall around a head full of midnight black hair when in vanished altogether. In a fury of mostly unseen action Jacob had deactivated Daniel's 'sexy' shadow clone and brought a kunai to the necks of Daniel and Neji. This was quite possible, as Neji was still kneeling next to Daniel protectively. The purple eyed boy revealed a basic weakness to Jacob's attack.

"Only one of those kunai is real- you only caught one of Danny's kunai." He said calmly. Jacob grinned at him, startling the brilliant boy.

"Ah. But which one is it?" Jacob asked. As Neji was not gifted with Byakugan, he didn't know the answer. The three boys stayed silent, before Jacob pushed both kunai home. Akane screamed, but Daniel's face broke into a grin as well when both weapons vanished in a poof of smoke. Jacob stood up and brushed away invisible dirt from his hands. Eventually he turned to a stunned Neji, who had just begun to help the grayhead up.

"They were both fake." He said serenely. Neji pondered this- that factor was obvious to everyone but Akane- who was being enlightened by her twin. The mind bender was this,

"Then what about Daniel's?" Neji asked. Daniel placed his weight back onto Neji, he was now as upright as he was going to get.

"Oh, mine wasn't real either. All the weapons we used were actually transformed Kage Bunshin- it's an exercise in multitasking." He explained. Neji stared at him in horror- multitasking with a strenuous jutsu like that? It was a wonder both boys hadn't been made Chuunin.

Daniel smiled at Akane.

"See? Nothing to be worried about, Akane-chan." He trailed off when he saw the reason Akane had screamed.

Noah had fainted.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter.5

"No. I won't allow it to happen." A dark-haired young man growled fiercely. His sensei didn't appear even slightly phased.

"Now, now Sasuke-kun. You know you can't go against Tsunade's orders." A gray-haired man reasoned. He wore a pair of sunglasses that were obscured by a mass of hair on the left side of his face. Everything that wasn't lost under the mass of silvery hair was covered in a navy blue mask that ran all the way up to his nose. All this fabric had a curious effect. One who didn't know him might think the older man was being eaten alive by his accessories. His loose black slacks and navy blue turtleneck didn't diminish this at all.

"That's my room. I refuse to share it with them." Sasuke growled again, black eyes flashing. "There is no way. Not with a child!" Mesh covered arms crossed. They disappeared under a pleasingly tight sleeveless black shirt that ran down to halfway between his elbows and shoulders and ended abruptly. This had caused mass nosebleeds before the female population until they developed at least a partial immunity. Sasuke attempted to read his teacher's expression, but it was near impossible to do so at the best of times.

It was still early enough in the evening that some sunlight was able to push itself through the thick foliage- so forcefully in fact that once the light passed through it could do nothing but spin in crazy half-circles on the dirt. Sauske had come to train in the relative privacy the thick branches had offered him. After all, the clearing he usually trained in was quite close to his cabin. The staff and students of Kono understood the dark boy needed his space and for the most part they left him alone. Whether this privacy was because of the prestige of his clan of that his adoptive father Hatake Kakashi had asked for it, Sasuke had no idea. Up until now it hadn't mattered either- because he was allowed such freedom without question. But this was about to be changed- by the obnoxiously loud group!

Sasuke had heard them, even from his semi-remote spot.

"That child is also a mute. Hardly loud." Kakashi argued. Sasuke's spiked hair twitched.

"Less than a hour ago there was screaming just over there." He gestured animatedly to a point at a right angle to his dorm and the edge of the public training grounds. "And then those three brats rushed by!" Sasuke waved his hands angrily. "How is that not loud?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed to mirror Sasuke's, not that he could see. Even if his eyes were invisible Sasuke could sense the man was angered.

"The young mute, had a seizure." The gray-haired man said.

"Hn." His student sounded unimpressed.

"You might be interested to know that the Chuunin was able to hone in on Tsunade's chakra."

Sasuke whipped his head around to stare at Kakashi.

"How do you know?"

"Sakura spoke to me afterwards. She could barely keep up with the Chuunin boy's speed- but she told me he somehow managed to find Tsunade where she was gathering herbs." Kakashi intoned, dropping the bit of information like a hunk of meat to a starving man. Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits.

"How could a total stranger would know Tsunade-hime is a medical expert? Only Kabuto-san is listed as our medical staff." The dark boy said. His sensei shrugged, pleased his bait had worked.

"Ask them. They're already moved into your dorms." The sunglasses-clad man said. Sasuke's temper flared around one of the few people he allowed it to.

"How could you? It's MINE!" Sasuke cried. Kakashi glared at him.

"May you sound childish. You must recognize there was no other place they could go."

A breeze stirred the leaves slowly, but neither shinobi noticed.

"Couldn't you move them in with Ishikara and Koori?"

"Their dorm was only built for three."

"You could have split them up."

"Jiraiya-sama allowed their request to remain together."

"Hn." Sasuke grumbled, but now he knew he'd lost. There was no way he could fight Jiraiya and Tsunade's orders. Eventually he stormed off to his completely occupied dorms. He supposed it wasn't all bad- something could be gained of this. The Chuunin might be a good sparring partner.

Before he heard the voices outside his door, Sasuke's steps had slowed down and to the world he appeared cool and collected once again. He was so immersed in his act of the aloof ninja he barely flinched when he heard his cousins gossiping. Perhaps he could glean some useful information off them. Kakashi had mentioned Sakura was with his new roommates- he could learn more about that Chuunin.

The black-haired boy positioned himself so he would walk up the backs of his cousins, and surprisingly Sarutobi Neji, since they were facing towards his cabin. All three of them were talking in hushed voices. Even in the dappled light (that was already growing dimmer) Sakura and Akane's clan emblems where obvious. Sasuke winced under the weight of his own Uchiha symbol. Before their parents had died, all three children had been under a great deal of pressure to continue the Uchiha bloodline. Especially Sasuke, the only one in his age group to master the Sharingan Eyes- except Aniki. But that was too painful a train of thought.

"Sakura-san. Akane-san." Sasuke said, which functioned quite well as his salutation. He and Sarutobi allowed a nod of acknowledgment. Akane jumped to his side.

"Have you heard about your new roomies?" She gushed.

"No." Sasuke answered as coldly as possible. Akane appeared hurt for only a second.

"We were watching a battle, and boy where they boring! They hardly knew how to fight!" She said. Sakura shook her head sadly.

"They both maintained Kage Bushin no Jutsu. I've never seen such speed- especially from the gray-haired boy, Daniel, who was injured."

"Both his ankles sprained." Neji murmured sadly.

"But the curious thing was how scared they got when their little brother had a seizure." Sakura said again. "When they were fighting they looked almost relaxed- even happy."

"The blonde, what was his name.... Jacob? Yeah, Jacob used his chakrra to walk down a tree- that was pretty cool. You remember- like Kakashi did when we first met him?" Akane interrupted.

"I can do that too Akane- the skill does take some chakra molding finesse, but it's not too amazing." Sakura butted in. Sasuke's hopes at someone to spar with jumped- he had just recently learned the same skill. Sakura, looking frazzled from all the interruptions, continued slowly, "but even after they found Tsunade- which was amazing and practically impossible..." Sakura stopped when she saw Akane's face. "fine, nee-chan, you tell this part." She said. Akane pranced about happily.

"Tsunade-hime said No-chan had a heart problem, and that's why he did all that weird stuff. His brothers looked really scared! It was like they didn't know! And Noah-chan must have been born with it- the heart problem, I mean." Akane gushed. Sasuke absorbed all this, or started to at least. He was still quite sore about his intruders.

"We should inform Shikamaru. It's best to have information gathering in one spot- and I can't think of anyone more clever than Nara. Even if he is lazy." Neji nodded, only slightly ruffled he hadn't made Sakura's list.

Sasuke headed down the stairs to his door.

"I shall inform Shikamaru, Sakura-san. I was most interested to note the Umino brothers and Tsunade recognized each other..." Neji's voice was cut off as Sasuke pulled his door open and slipped behind it. Forgetting he had company for only a moment, he breathed deeply of the cool earthy air. Like all the other dorms, Sasuke's cabin was built half-underground, and plants were encouraged to grow on top of his sod-covered roof. Not only was it virtually invisible from above, but it kept the three-room dorm relatively the same temperature year-round. Sasuke was about to walk across the main room to the bathroom (directly across from the entrance) when he heard steady breathing.

Silently he crouched down in the gloom. His roommates had neglected to turn on the light, so everything was cloaked in gray streaming through the waterproof half-windows around the room. The boys had set up futons, presumably from the supplies in the closet, around Sasuke's futon. The far was a solid wall of futons. Three boys lay curled up on top of his futon in the middle. The older boys were huddled protectively around the smallest boy, who looked odd in this light. He looked nearly translucent, actually, but that must have been his pale coloring.

The smallest must be Noah. And the two older boys must be Jacob and Daniel. He knew this must be so, as he summoned up the names he had just heard. Despite these names, a completely different name floated to the surface of Sasuke's mind.

"Naruto?"

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter.6

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You can find fanart of my story done by xxkurenaixshixx at www. deviantart. com/ deviation/ 11505757/ Just remove the spaces.

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Kiba hated Byakugan. It was such a shitty skill for a ninja. Kiba wished sometimes he had been born into the Akimichi clan, or even the Inuzuka. Anything must be better than being able to see through walls. It sounded more like a family of pervs than anything else.

"You should get back to practice Kiba-sama." Said a voice from the kitchen-type thing. The dorm the four boys shared had one main room, a large rectangle with a kitchenette and a bathroom attached. Kiba stuck his tongue out at Shino from his bunk.

Shino was an oddity, and Kiba loved the very idea of him. Even though the blue haired boy had been born into the branch family of Hyuuga, his skills far surpassed Kiba's. It had gotten to the point where Shino acted as the dogboy's bodyguard and teacher. At some times the quiet boy had even acted as a servant, or as Kiba liked to call it, baby-sitter.

"Kiba-sama. . ." Shino added solemnly. Kiba sighed and ran his and through Akamaru's fur. Shino had promised not to tell Kiba's parents about the dog as long as he listened to Shino for Byakugan training. Akamaru whimpered, and Kiba made believe he could understand the pup. He didn't like the doujutsu... but for Akamaru, and Shino it was worth it.

"Alright already." Kiba growled. He focused his dark gray eyes, allowing small veins to appear around them. He let his eyes wonder over the two sets of bunk beds that housed himself, Shino, Choji and Shikamaru. His eyes slid back into the dresser Choji and Shikamaru shared, snickering for the hundredth time when he saw Choji's boxers with dancing carrots. His eyes peered through the dirt between himself and the bathroom.

Spiders were crawling out of the drain and Kiba made a mental note to warn Shino- that boy liked bugs too much. He would probably organize a spider union to get the bugs better work hours.

A little further through the rocks, the end of a rabbit warren and above ground.

"Neji's coming for a visit." Kiba mentioned, for the benefit of his roommates not gifted with the peeping tom eyes. Shikamaru grumbled in a pleased fashion,

"Probably wants to play Shoji again." However Kiba shook his head.

"Don't think so. He looks anxious- about a minute away." Kiba reported dutifully.

"Two minutes at best. Try something else, Kiba-sama." Shino retorted from the kitchenish room. Choji snickered. Kiba suggested Akamaru piss on his cute little boxers.

"Kiba-sama. . ." Shino said for the second time in three minutes. He sounded even more disappointed than before. Kiba angrily turned his Byakugan on his second cousin. Shino was in the kitchen, which connected to the main room halfway down the one of the longer sides. The silent boy was currently busy making sandwiches. Turkey for himself, balogna with cheese for Akamaru and a PB&J for Kiba.

Kiba smiled at the apron Shino was wearing- one his three roomies had bought him for the summer hols last year. It was red and white plaid with the word 'Mother' embroidered across the chest. It was the boy's joke- Shino took care of all of them like a mother hen. He even told Kiba off for not wearing his scarf last winter. Kiba shuddered in remembrance. It had been an ungodly scarf too- pastel purple with the Hyuuga symbol at the ends. He'd ended up wearing it the rest of the summer in fear of Shino finding him without it.

Kiba's gray eyes slipped under the skin, and he watched Shino's heart beat. It might seem odd to someone without the Byakugan, but Kiba was used to seeing internal organs from the inside. Besides which, this one had a special meaning.

This was how Kiba had first learned to use the Byakugan. At age five, when the rest of the family had despaired ever teaching Kiba the doujutsu, Shino had spent several weeks helping him. He had placed Kiba's head on his small chest and told him to see his heart. Eventually Kiba could watch Shino's heart beat with just a hand over the steadily rising chest, and finally he could see it from a different room. Shino's heartbeat was quite relaxing.

Shino was balancing three plates in his hands as he walked over to Kiba, his hips gently swaying. Kiba unfocused his eyes until he was starring at Shino's bare chest. It had become a game for the dog boy- to see how much of Shino's milky white skin he could explore before his chakra moulding failed him.

This time it was Kiba's nerves that failed him at Shino's waistline. His enchanted eyes bulged at the soft trail of black hair that disappeared into Shino's boxers. The brown haired boy gulped. This was really, really low. On so many levels.

"Do you need some help, Kiba-sama?" Shino asked. Kiba flushed and snapped up into a sitting position as his Byakugan flashed out.

"Wh-what?" He stuttered from his spot on the bottom bunk. Shino put his hands on his hips.

"I said, 'Do you need some help?' You've been starring into the bunk above you without a word while I offered you your snack." Shino said, which was quite articulate for him. Kiba scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Sorry Shino-kun. I was just getting into my Byakugan practice. Can I have my sandwich now?" He said in an obviously false manner, holding out his hands for the aforementioned carbohydrate.

Kiba wanted to smack himself. What the hell was wrong with him? Shino handed Kiba the plate silently, but before Kiba could escape the bug boy leaned over and whispered,

"Peanut Butter and Jelly can't be that good." This was said with a significant glance at Kiba. Kiba blushed again and whipped away some drool, and as soon as he realized what it was (sometime after the sandwich was finished) he buried his face in his pillow.

"Oh Kami-sama. . ." He told his pillow. Unlike Akamaru, it did not talk back. Kiba was eternally grateful for this, because he could bet what the pillow would say. And an inanimate object calling him a pervert would have been too much for the misplaced teen.

Inanimate objects talking at all would be a sign of serious distress on it's own.

Kiba glanced up from his silent pillow seconds later to view the scene around him curiously. Shino had removed his apron and was standing in the kitchen door frame nibbling on his sandwich. Choji was sitting on the bottom bunk, next to Shikamaru. The larger boy was eating chips with his usual gusto. Shikamaru engaged Neji in argument before he had even made it through the door, as per tradition.

To fully understand the two intellectuals, Kiba mused, one must first understand how they argued. Unlike normal people, they actually listened to their opponent's whole argument and responded to it. The most amazing part was how the two boys viewed it. They seemed to think argument was a way to relax. It was almost a game to them, Kiba noted, but not one he would ever be interested in.

The part that really shocked Kiba was how both boys could firmly believe their opinion to be in the right, but neither became upset by the other boy's inability follow their idea. Granted, Kiba had only realized this after Shino explained it to him, but once it was obvious, even he could notice it. Once he even asked them about it, and Neji attempted to explain. He said 'to know your partner understands your argument is enough'. Shikamaru only nodded.

"To understand it to believe." He said.

Kiba didn't even try to understand that. He told them they were crazy, which they agreed with after much laughter.

Kiba was rather shocked to note that both boys sounded serious today. They hadn't spoken that Kiba knew of since yesterday morning. A lot had happened since then.

"He's not human." Shikamaru stated calmly. Neji stopped whatever he had been saying.

"What?" Neji jumped. Shikamaru sighed.

"I've been thinking about it-" Neji huffed. The Nara boy glared at him before continuing. "- and you know how Kono Park has been having increased volcanic activity- there are whisperings that the Kitsune no Kyuubi is at fault." Neji rolled his eyes again.

"I've checked the history books before- the Kyuubi is a myth. It never existed, Shika." Neji stated calmly, and no one doubted him. Neji had read more books than any normal teenager.

"It's notable that Chakra moulding is also considered a myth." Shikamaru returned. Neji nodded- assenting he would hear the rest of the Nara boy's argument and consider it now.

"When I was watching Umino-san before he was brought on the grounds. . . he spotted me." Kiba started at this- as well as Choji. The whole cabin had begun listening now.

"You never told us that!" Kiba shouted. Choji glared at him for interrupting and "Not now Kiba-sama." He said, his quiet voice cracking around the edges with cold anger.

"That's unfair!" The head clan boy whined. Shino placed his hand on Kiba's shoulder in a comforting manner, and much like when the were younger, he understood. Kiba nodded and leaned back and it just so happened, onto Shino's chest. The would confront Shikamaru about the matter later. The Nara continued, but with a guarded tone. He was now fully aware of his bunkmates attention.

Despite this internal argument, the main event continued without delay. It was a well known fact that no one had ever caught Shikamaru when he was spying on them.

"Not only that, but he wasn't walking on the ground. It was as if he didn't have an actual body." The black-haired boy finished. Neji spent several minutes absorbing this, along with the cabin, but finally he spoke his bit.

"It sounds beyond far-fetched at first- but it does explain the discrepancies. His ability to use Justus that are spoken of only in legends-" Neji started. He frowned though. "still, this seems exaggerated. You are implying that Jacob Umino is the Kitsune no Kyuubi, ne?" Neji added. Shikamaru sighed.

"It's troublesome to explain, but even the motive is there. Revenge seems plausible enough. Uzumaki Naruto sealed the demon in this village long ago, right? I'm fairly certain demons have long memories." Shikamaru added. Neji blinked.

"Brilliantly deducted, except for one thing. The scrolls say Uzumaki-san slayed the demon, and the cost of his own life and his father's. The dead, even of the demonic variety, do not remember their previous incarnation." Neji countered. Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Choji choose this moment to intervene for his friend. He glared at the orphaned boy with his purple hair.

"Can't you see you're pushing him too far? Shika looks far too crowded." The large boy growled. Neji sighed.

"I was just arguing to the best of my ability." He stated coldly. He retreated behind a crystal wall of indifference, as he always did when faced with Choji's well meant aggression for his best friend. Shikamaru sighed.

"It's all right Choji." he turned to Neji. "Some things can not be argued about." Neji's gray eyes darkened with disappointment. The sound of someone knocking on wood filled the silence. Before anyone could move, a tall man swathed in green spandex burst into the room. As the door swung around, only Kiba, unaccustomed with the strange ritual, turned to look. He saw Aono Gai striking his "Good Guy" pose in the doorway. Right before the door could hit him in the spandex rear, he took a large step forward and lay his hand on Neji's shoulder in a fatherly way. All this happened before the silence could become to awkward, but all silences Gai was involved in creating were awkward anyway.

"All right boys! How's your training going?" The teacher asked in a cheerful tone. Shikamaru sighed again and flopped back into the bed, turning his head the other way and muttering 'how troublesome'. This didn't phase the ninja at all, nor did Neji's blunt refusal to be part of his friendly gesture. Kiba smiled embarrassedly at him, and said,

"I've been learning lots!" Gai, relieved someone had risen to his comment, flashed them all a trademark smile and thumbs-up.

"That's great boys! In fact, I have some news for you. The new ninja will be introduced tomorrow morning, at the central meeting room inside the staff building. Please do not be late, or you will have to go without food for all of tomorrow!" The Jounin instructor laughed evilly before running off, leaving the door swinging in his wake. Choji covered his eyes at the very idea of no food.

"Don't get us involved in your crazy promises..." He muttered. Shino slouched over and shut the door, muttering something about getting locks installed. Neji looked puzzled, completely ignoring that he had almost been part of Gai's campaign.

"I thought they were going to be introduced tonight?" He grumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. The Nara shrugged it off.

"Something must have happened to them. In any event, the Umino boy is more than he appears, and his loyalties are unknown." Shikamaru grouched. Neji's forehead crunched with consideration. As Lee was his bunkmate and Kankuro hadn't yet arrived from overseas, this was his last intelligent conversation for the night.

"It would be wisest to keep your guard up from here on out..." He added.  
This time Shikamaru nodded with some semblance of relaxation.

TBC. . .

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A/n- (wipes brow) I don't usually do this, because I know it's just plain annoying to read Author Notes, but I think one such as this is on order. I would like to take this moment to thank all my lovely reviewers, and the slightly aggravating individuals who read this story without telling me. (glomps you all, poor people) In response to your reviews, the following (along with... COOKIES!) -

Luna- Yes ma'am!

Alfred L. Kalrson- Erm... spiffy name. Really. Much cooler than mine, anyway. About your questions, I don't recognize the reference, so I'm afraid that's lost on me. There will be romantic involvements as far as I can tell, and minor nudity, (winks) although mostly of the male persuasion. If you want to see something, I don't have many couples planned out, so offer something you're interested in. I think there will be some nonsense on the spiritual plane, if I can manage it. I've been reading quite a few Native American myths lately and they have defiantly effected this story. That or the manga "Petshop of Horrors". This story is ultimately leading to Konoha forest, or training area #74, (I'm fairly certain that's the name) better known as the testing grounds of the Chuunin Exam. It's purpose is to further explore what I feel are the complexities of Uzumaki Naruto's personality and his relationship with Sasuke.

kurapy- You've done a very good job guessing! I'm impressed, sometimes I think my plots are too crazy, I wouldn't get them if I hadn't come up with them on most days. If you want hints, they're all correct. Every last bit, actually.

: )- Oh, you'll notice him. I probably won't announce exactly who he is until closer too the end of the story, but there will be huge hints along the way.

xxkurenaixshixx- (glomps you extra) You rule! I love your fanart, even if I didn't respond to your note. Gomen... but DevianArt was being a snot and I didn't feel like rewriting the whole thing. I especially love Neji! He's my little stud muffin.

General/note- Please review! I love getting confirmation that people read my story. Remember, just mention a pairing you want to see, and I'll try and work at least some hints in. I've got so many characters and I don't know who to put them with!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter.7

Haku loved the mornings. They were always quiet, a wonderful time to ponder. It didn't usually matter what was being pondered, because it never had any value in real life.

In the morning, before consequences of the day weight down on you, was the best time to think about silly nothings. The young man loved the complete lack of urgency. It was a welcome relief from his roommate. Gaara, a young man from the Country of the Wind, was always anxious about something. The worst part of it was, most days he didn't even notice his tension. Perhaps he could live that way, but Haku needed some time to be frivolous.

At least, that was his excuse for showing up at the conference room early. He knew this was a mistruth, but who would question him? It wasn't beyond him to believe something like that- he did, in fact, prefer a few minutes every day in serenity. These weren't some of them.

He could also say he was waiting here to meet the new students. This wasn't absolute lies either. He was interested in the new students. However he was, and always had been, more interested in the teachers. A certain teacher, by the name of Momochi Zabuza. He, like Haku, was from the Thunder Country. Apparently it was a show of good faith, that Momochi-san would be his teacher- letting foreigners stick together, or something equally foolish. In any event, Haku wanted to meet him.

The effeminate boy's father had taught at Kono several years ago, but he abandoned the rigorous job to raise a family. It was rather amazing his father had managed to survive as long as he did. Teachers also worked as bodyguards for the diplomats in the normal academy, and most ninja never made it past 30. On top of that, tension between the Countries was escalating, and for a few years ninjas had been used as weapons. That was how all of Haku's extended family had died. Since then ninjas had vanished out of existence, and were commonly thought of as evil incarnate.

When Haku's father left Kono, he figured that was that. At least until Haku showed disturbing proficiency in ninjutsu. Haku's mother had divorced his father then, but his father had gained custody of the child. Both males acknowledged that this was better than being sentenced to death.

Eventually the black eyed boy had ended up at the academy, but before he started the school year, his father had warned him about Momochi. His father had called his replacement a demon, but Haku had never truly believed this. So here he was, waiting around in the teacher's quarters, for a man he now knew well. Over the last few years his instincts had proven correct. This teacher, and in many ways role model, Zabuza.

The ice boy sniffed. These were rather heavy thoughts for early morning!

He became aware of shuffling to his right. Instantly on guard, he remembered everything Zabuza had taught him about enemy spies.

'Appear like you didn't notice anything' He repeated to himself. He glanced down at a small table with candle resting on it, trying to unfocus his eyes and remain vigilant. How difficult it was, in real life! He gazed into the polished glass.

"It looks like ice..." He whispered. He mildly disapproved of his expression, it was far too nervous.

"Huh?" He heard a voice ask. He sweatdropped. Could it be that his supposed watcher didn't even know he was in the room? He guessed the voice had come from behind a thick, informal couch. He walked over to it, and right as he was about to lean over the side, a mop of gray hair appeared. Watery blue eyes stared into his own beetle brown orbs.

"Hello." He murmured, and the other boy snapped to life. First a blush crossed his face, quickly followed by panic and fear.

"Ah... ano... hey?" He stuttered. Haku couldn't help but smile at his antics.

"Did I catch you at something?" The older boy said in his melodious voice. This must be one of the new students. Perhaps it wasn't as pleasant as conversing with Zabuza, but it wasn't horrible. This one looked funny.

The gray haired boy raised an eyebrow at Haku, deep in wonderment.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just... you remind me of someone."

"A friend?"

"... yeah." He answered sadly. "One I never expected to see again." Haku nodded sympathetically.

"However, I am afraid I am not that friend." He stated in his oddly blunt manner. The gray boy smiled at this, and pulled himself over the couch.

"Yeah, because I'm really mad about the last trick he played." He muttered. "Daniel." He held out his hand, and Haku shook it.

"Haku Koori." He replied.

"Well Haku... want to help me with a prank I'm playing?" Daniel jumped up, suddenly a writhing ball of energy, freed from inaction. Haku almost laughed at his shift.

"I would love to." He said happily. Daniel smiled at him, reflecting the early sunlight and amplifying it with his joy.

"All right then, we had better find a chalkboard eraser."

"Why?"

"For the door, of course. Silly." Daniel pointed to the doorway, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "We'll stick an eraser at the top, and when someone comes in, they'll get hit in the head!" Daniel gestured to the doorway, pointing out how the door slid out. Haku shrugged.

"If you say so." He pointed to eraser resting by the chalkboard. "Will that work?" He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. If this was a conference room, materials to illustrate concepts would be required. Daniel's face broke into another record-beating grin.

"Will it ever!" He whooped and scurried about, setting up his trap. Haku smiled indulgently from the couch. It was incredibly stupid, the whole plan. But who cared? The outcome would be funny. Currently the boy was standing on a chair to secure the eraser.

"Are you sure this will work?" Haku asked offhandedly.

"Of course it will! It worked in my- at my last school." Daniel said without turning around. After he had finished and pulled the chair back to it's spot, he turned to face the other boy.

"Why wouldn't it?" He asked innocently. Haku laughed.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because this isn't the same?" He added. Daniel looked oddly serious.

"You know, it isn't. I keep forgetting."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, Daniel."

"Yeah?"

"What were you doing behind the couch?"

"Looking for frogs."

Haku snickered, and that was the end of that.

They both waited in uneasy silence, until Haku heard footsteps walking down the hallway. He grinned in anticipation, and turned to exchange glances with Daniel. He was confused to discover Daniel had already turned away and was glancing nervously at the door. Could Daniel have heard the boy coming first? That was absurd, Haku had three formal years and far more informal years of ninja training; how could Daniel's senses be keener?

Perturbed, the older boy turned back to the doorway just to see a pale hand snatch the eraser out of the air. Daniel let out a wheeze of disappointment before jumping onto the couch and pointing dramatically at the young man who was walking in. Haku froze when the agile young man made himself known as Sasuke Uchiha.

Haku didn't hate the boy, but he had never attempted to get to know the boy. He was brash and wild tempered, hardly suitable for a ninja. Anyone who could allow their anger to control them so easily shouldn't be allowed near pointy objects. Besides, both bishonen in the same room together never led to anything healthy.

Screaming could be heard in the distance. Daniel covered his ears.

"So loud!" He complained. Sasuke barely raised an eyebrow, and Haku pulled Daniel off the couch by his pant-leg. Daniel landed in a pile on the seat next to him, and Haku turned all his attention to the boy.

"What do you mean? I can barely hear them coming."

"Them?" Daniel asked, obliviously. Sasuke rolled his eyes, finally able to react.

"The Harpies."

"Oooh-uh, what?"

"Fool. The women." Sasuke explained angrily.

Daniel nodded in understanding.

"Right. Your fan club." He glanced at Haku, giving him a quick once-over. Haku blushed, feeling mildly creeped out.

"I bet there are enough kunoichi after the both of you combined to take over the world. What was baa-chan thinking, letting you be in the same school?" Daniel mused, the last sentence to soft to hear. Haku's blush intensified, coloring his delicate cheeks red.

"Was that a compliment, Daniel-kun?" He asked carefully. Daniel grinned, his trademark fox smile.

"It was indeed." He answered. Sasuke grunted and turned to walk out without another word, heeding the screaming which seemed to be getting closer. Daniel noticed him leaving, so he turned to Haku at stuck out his hand to shake. Haku pulled him into a hug. He supposed for anyone else he would be uncomfortable in such a position, having lived with very little physical contact. However, when Naruto hugged him back, something in Haku sighed happily.

"Friends." He whispered. Daniel pulled back, and agreed,

"Friends. Now, if you don't mind, everyone seems to be gathering in the room down the hall. I was told to put the sign up down there. And, I am one of the guests of honor..." Daniel rambled, before rushing out the door. A moment later his head appeared again in the doorway.

"You know, I'm glad things are different."

Haku bent to pick up the chalkboard eraser, which had been completely forgotten, puzzling. If Daniel had set up a sign indicating where the meeting was going to be, what was he doing down here? And, more interestingly, why had he been convinced someone would come?

His new friend was certainly an enigma.

". . . and according to the new recruits students and teacher alike, the teams for your age group have been rearranged. As it stands, Mizuki Kabuto will be leading Uchiha Akane and our exchange students Yakushi Kankuro and Ishikawa Gaara-" Iruka was cut off when Akane started complaining.

"EHHH! But I want to be with Sasuke-kun! Not with the foreign kids!" She shouted, glaring at Iruka. The new teacher rolled his eyes.

"You where placed with the boys from Wind Country because we were sure you could show them the customary Uchiha kindness. Apparently I was wrong?" Iruka asked. Akane pouted.

"Fine. But when are they getting here?"

"Kankuro will be here tomorrow, and Ishikawa-kun two days later." Kakashi spoke up. He was impressed- not even her siblings could get the chatterbox Akane to shut up, much less manipulate her into being kind. This Heiran could prove worth talking to.

"Katase Kurenai will be teaching Dosu Tenten, Hyuuga Kiba and Hyuuga Shino." No one commented, except Kiba's dog, who let loose a joyful howl. Ino, the resident Inuzuka clan rep, glanced from Kiba to Shino and snickered. Kiba fought back a blush.

"Anyway, Momochi Zabuza will be in charge of Umuino Daniel, Uchiha Sakura and Koori Haku." Iruka said quickly, daring any of the Genin to utter a squeak. Haku only bit his lip, and Iruka was able to continue.

"Aono Gai will be leading Maito Lee, Aburame Hinata and Neji." Iruka added. Hinata nodded politely to Neji, and he nodded back. Lee did a little dance at being on the same team as his rival.

"Hatake Kakashi is in charge of Yamanaka Temari, Umuino Jacob and Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka glanced up this time, waiting for a comment. Much to his pleasure, the room was perfectly quiet, and so when he glanced back to the scroll he missed Jacob's grin.

"Yuuhi Asuma will be training Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Ino and Nara Shikamaru." Ino, loud as ever, glared at Iruka.

"How come I have to be with these lazy kids, and not Jacob-kun?" She shouted, throwing her hands into the air. Shikamaru and Choji exchanged 'looks' before the Nara boy leaned over and whispered something in his best friend's ear. They both chuckled a little, able to completely ignore Ino's ranting. Iruka, standing in front of the crowd of ninja, did not have that luxury. At least, Kakashi didn't think he did. However Heiran-sensei managed to surprise and amuse him once again.

"Alright, that's all for today! I leave you in the able hands of your Jounin Instructors! Remember, any important information will be posted on the door of the teachers dorm. There will be another meeting here in one week to give you information on our field trip!" Iruka shouted, before jumping out the window. Ino rushed after him, but stopped about five feet away from the meeting room, having already lost the man.

Kakashi waited while the other teachers gathered their students together, and Jacob politely told Ino that he wouldn't mind getting some Rammed later, say around six? Finally only his new pupils were left in the room. He considered testing them, but all three children looked irritable. He might get abused.

"Hatake-sensei, what country is Mizuki-sensei from?" Jacob asked curiously. Temari answered for him.

"He's from the Leaf. However, he has quite a few friends in Sound." She said. Jacob turned his eyes on her.

"Sound? I am familiar with the country, but what are they to Leaf ninja?" Jacob asked. Sasuke was still pouting from the lack of his female admirers, so he interrupted Temari's explanation.

"They say their village is peaceful, but we've noted ninja movement." He said, all arrogance. Jacob nodded in acknowledgment, but Sasuke ignored him. Jacob brushed it off and turned to Kakashi.

"I don't trust that man. He smells like a snake." He stated. Kakashi smiled.

"Oh?"

"Foxes hunt snakes, you know." Jacob added.

Kakshi smiled. This year was going to be fun!

TBC. . .

A/n- (smacks brain) Damn, damn, damn. This took far too long, and sucks far to much. I don't feel like editing it though. . . so here it is. Have fun. I'll get more out soon, and in two or three chapters I'll get to their trip. That's where the plot really gets going. (nods) (runs in circles) What am I doing with this story, anyway?!

Hof- (shakes head sadly) Koori, when she finds some sanity to cling to, would like to thank her reviewers. Not to mention her readers. Bless their souls.

Jenniyah- That's right. The only character you'll have to run about for is Naruto, sorry if you were looking for suspense. . . Thanks for reviewing!

kurapy- (nods) I hope this chapter helped with your naruto/kyuubi action! (laughs) Aw, Kiba's not gay! Just cuddly cute and dorky for Shino! (ponders) I guess that does make him gay. (snickers) I would love to meet these people on the street. I would glomp the lights out of Lee-san.

:) - (bows) Just for you, I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long. If you really want to know how's who, I can tell you. It's just, I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. If you want to poke me at my email address , please do. I shall apologize much. There will be more talk about the past, but not in this chapter. Once again, I'm making sure everyone gets mentioned. In Naruto, there are so many characters to account for! (whipes brow) Yeah, sometimes I have a reason for that. I made sure Neji and Hinata weren't part of Hyuuga because I thought they would only be reincarnated because their clan had held them back from something- so this time they get another chance.

VGJekyll - (smiles) That's observant of you. You're right, Jacob is nothing like Naruto- he's the perfect ninja, in my mind. And sometimes, when Naruto's caught in the heat of battle, he pulls things that you would never expect from him. You know, ninja-type sneakiness. (smirk) I think Naruto has the potential to be the perfect ninja, but hopefully he'll never allow that to take over his good nature.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter.8

Jacob closed his eyes, letting the greenery fade into black. With one less sense to cloud his mind, he could almost feel his chakra burning. Right now it was barely at a simmer, but with the right prod he could bring it to full force.. However, such a energy consuming action would hardly benefit him right now. He was merely training. Granted it was his first day at the academy, but he was in need of some special training. Seeing so many painfully familiar faces was wrecking havoc on his emotions. As such, there was no cause to over-exert himself at his sibling's expense.

Breathing in slowly, Jacob formed the necessary hand seals, allowing a small amount of the chakra to float into use. Next to him he heard a satisfying "poof". Another moment later, he opened his purple eyes, allowing them to rest on...

"Daniel?" He shouted. Shock and fear were visible on his face for an instant before his mask of indifference settled. The shadow clone smiled at him.

"Are you that surprised? You haven't had enough chakra for a human being for quite some time. It's not unusual you mucked up a serious jutsu like Kage Bunshin." The clone explained. Jacob noted he looked to smug for naive Dan.

"I didn't. You're me."

"I hope not."

"Your tongue is too sharp for Dan."

The clone smiled. "But of course." Jacob nodded.

"In that case, I have some unorthodox training for us." The redhead nodded to his clone. The gray haired boy tensed.

"Considering the memories this place holds..." Jacob trailed off. Before his clone knew what had happened, his creator was down on his knees, trailing delicate fingers over his midsection. The clone coughed into his hand, refusing to look at the tears streaming down Jacob's face.

The clone smiled softly, the subtle emotion looking out of place on Daniel's face.

"I'm to test your psychological control, aren't I? The clone asked. Jacob nodded, stiffly standing up and walking away.

"Make me mad." Jacob clarified, even though he was looking away. The blotched clone ignored Jacob swipe a hand over his eyes.

Instead he focused downward, on the curious stomach that had so shocked Jacob. It was true he was wearing the same clothes as the actual Jacob, a black sleeveless shirt with ninja-length gray pants. However, on his stomach, there was an achingly familiar spiral pattern. Absently the grayhead noted the color's similarity to blood.

"I suppose this is a good start." He muttered dispassionately. Jacob turned around slowly.

"Whenever you're ready." Jacob's voice was like ice.

Sasuke growled at some unsuspecting animal. He always trained on Saturdays, always. I mean, damn. It's not as if he had a life, or even a social life. So every Saturady without fail (not to mention every other day) he was somewhere in the forest, training by himself.

Only last year had the academy started creating teams, so the Uchiha boy was quite used to training on his own. Therefore, he rarely trained on the public grounds, choosing to sweat further away from curious eyes. The poor boy never felt comfortable in front of people, except perhaps his roommates, which was completely illogical. They had only been here for two days.

Sasuke, for reasons unknown, especially to himself, hated his roommates with a passion. Curious, because the pale boy rarely had a passion for anything. When he was five, his family had died in a fire a friend of the family Kakashi had become his guardian nothing had retained it's flavor. He couldn't' find a Hokage-forsaken thing that kept his interest. If excellence hadn't already been a habit by that time in his life, his grades in school would have plummeted. Luckily Kakashi had suggested the ninja academy of his hometown. The gray haired man had already taught him the basic jutsus, so he easily made Genin class.

To think someone who hadn't been raised in Konoha (and make no mistake, no one was accepted into the ninja academy of Konoha unless they had serious connections) could be elevated to Chuunin status! Sasuke wanted to pound someone at the very thought. Even he wasn't a Chuunin yet.

He supposed that was the appeal of his new roommates. The fan boy couldn't grasp why the boys had been allowed into the academy, let alone be forced on him. He wanted to know how they had earned that honor. The knew, must know, so much more than him. And he hated them for it.

He still didn't know exactly why.

"The Sharingan gets you hot, doesn't it?" A voice spat. Sasuke halted mid jump and landed gracefully between trees. That voice sounded suspiciously like the older boy- Daniel wasn't it? However, judging by the sounds, he wasn't alone.

'Training?' Sasuke crouched down and stalked his way towards the noises. As he got closer, the words became too distinguishable for comfort.

"What would baa-chan think, eh?" The voice Sasuke had identified as Daniel taunted. However, even though Sasuke didn't understand the workings of normal people, he was pretty certain something wasn't right with the older boy. He had never heard any of the Umuinos to be so vicious.

The pale boy heard an angry grunt, confirming his theory that there were two people in the clearing.

"I doubt Tsunade-hime would remember." A voice deadpanned. If Sasuke hadn't spent years doing the same thing, he probably wouldn't have recognized the sound of suppressed anger. In fact, he was starting to recognize what sort of training was taking place. He recalled doing something similar on occasion; he would bait himself, testing the limits of his ability to keep his anger in check.

"You think? I'm sure she'd be upset you wanted to end the Uchiha clan." The psedo-Daniel mocked. Sasuke stiffened. Now he recognized the other voice, it belonged to Jacob. That was the one Sasuke hated. However now he had a new worry. How did these brothers play into his family's destruction?

Sasuke tightened his fists until his knuckles turned even whiter than they were (if that was possible). He had always suspected that the death of his entire clan hadn't been an accident, regardless of what Kakashi told him. His family had too many enemies and too much power to fall victim to a fire. Even if it was during the middle of the night. If this was the family at fault, then he had some duties as an Uchiha. Even if he hated the obligations his name placed on him.

"That's not true." The second voice hissed. Sasuke blinked. That voice sounded so odd, it was almost unrecognizable as Jacob's. Stealthily the fan child moved closer. He had to observe every detail of what was happening now.

"But it is. If you hadn't been there, he wouldn't have stepped in front of the kunai. the one you could have survived. The one you deserved. You killed Obi!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at this.

It was apparent that Jacob and Daniel were not the people responsible for the near extinction of his clan they knew far too much about it. No one outside his family could know that name. It belonged to Obiton Uchiha. He was the son of Sasuke's namesake and credited as the founding father of the clan. Only four people should know his name; Kakashi, Akane, Sakura and himself. More importantly, how could Jacob have interacted with him?

It was utterly impossible. The man had been dead for near 300 years. It was as if the boys didn't follow the normal rules of time, as if they had slipped by the proverbial gatekeeper to the moral world and were playing a little hopscotch. Shocked by his own poetic nostalgic, Saske placed all his information in the file 'Unlikely to be solved tonight, or any time soon for that matter'. He decided to ignore the whole thing for now in favor of keeping his full attention on spying.

He was close to them now, only a twtnty meters away, meaning he must be extra cautious.

Sasuke blinked. Somehow Obiton Uchiha's mention angered Jacob. Sasuke filed his away into 'blackmail', a notoriously think file it should be noted. Not to mention well-worn.

Finally Sasuke was near enough to see the brothers, but he must have missed Jacob's response. Judging by his clenched fists and narrowed eyes, it had been violent. Violent enough to scare away the hyperactive grayhead.

"Kuse." Sasuke muttered in a fit of anger. The only boy left standing twitched at the sound, and Sasuke almost swore again. The redhead threw his hands together.

Jacob glared at the space where the Bunshin-gone-wrong had been. As far as he was concerned, mentioning Obi-chan was the last straw. Taunting him with the dear boy was something he simply couldn't handle. Unfortunately, he had popped his training partner with a half-formed Rasengan. Not a good way to waste chakra, and now he had none left.

Jacob shrugged at least he knew the only thing that could make him lose control wasn't likely to be mentioned. No one except the Uchiha's would remember him.

Jacob rephrased that thought. Judging by the suspicion the usually lazy Shikamaru held for him, the Nara knew something. However, even if he did remember Naruto from his past life, it would be impossible to recognize him now.

Satisfied his training had been a success, he decided to start for home. He exhaled slowly, exhausted. Even though he had only been dodging until the final punch, he was worn out. He was about to dispel his own genjutsu when he heard something. Just to his left a few leaves rustled, and he heard someone swear softly. Jacob kept his features reasonably flat, but he knew that voice. It belonged to Sasuke Uchiha. Jacob flung his hands together anyway. So long as he was quiet, even an underdeveloped Sharingan user wouldn't be able to hear him.

The jutsu would be just as difficult to understand. The genjutsu he was about to dispel utilized a miniscule amout of chakra, making it near impossible to detect using even the most advanced doujutsu. It was extremely high level, near the skill level of an ANBU captain. It made sense, because the illusionary spell required much more chakra manipulation that chakra itself.

"Kai." Jacob muttered, knowing he didn't need to say a thing but liking the habit of it.

Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan eyes when the redhead disappeared, but all he could see was a fox disappearing into the brush.

"Shit!" This time he swore loudly.

But now he was beginning to wonder if the other boy might deserve his Chuunin status.

Daniel smiled softly.

"So you want a story?" He asked politely, his voice completely level. Mogei nodded, her eyes a little starry. She was only seven, why was this Genin being so serious to her? No one had ever treated her that way, without pulling that baby-talk nonsense. Mogei grinned. He must be attracted to her! Her marvelous good looks really were superior to all those childish kunoichi! So Mogei decided to be nice to him, even if she wasn't interested.

"Please." She said politely, using her most mature face. Hanobi rolled her eyes. Noah's eyes shown brightly, and he hugged his teammates. Mogei blushed, a grin appearing on her face as well. Noah-kun was so cool! Daniel looked a little amused, and gestured for the children to gather around him.

"Alright. I'll tell you a story that's been passed down in my family for hunderads of years now."

"What? That's crazy!" Hanobi shouted. Noah shook his head and pointed towards Daniel once he had the girls attention. Daniel nodded to his little brother.

"I know it sounds odd, but you have to trust me." Daniel said. Noah watched his teammates face for looks of disbelief. Luckily both children were young enough to believe him. Noah grasped Mogei's hand as Daniel started to speak.

"Alright. At one time-"

"-once upon a time, right?" Mogei corrected.

"Maybe. Once up a time, there were three brothers. A Raccoon, a fox and a hedgehog." Daniel ticked off on his fingers.

Noah scrunched his nose at this, and pouted.

"And the hedgehog was, or course, the most important." Daniel corrected, and Noah preened. Mogei giggled.

"And they lived together in their house. Together, they fought off snakes, weasels, and all manner of evil creatures. Welcome home Sasuke." Daniel muttered, and Sasuke climbed out of the shadows. If it was anyone but Sasuke, a casual observer would call his demeanor pouty. But, as every good Sasuke fanatic knows, Uchihas don't pout. Eventually he slumped down on his futon, lending one ear to Daniel's story.

"So the three brothers were quite powerful. Yet it should be remembered, the brothers didn't really live alone." Mogie leaned forward as Daniels' voice drifted off.

"You see, during the beginning of their lives, the brother's father left them a"

"Fire demon. A very ancient, dangerous fire demon." Jacob interrupted. Daniel jumped a little, and glanced guiltily at the floor. Noah walked over to take Jacob's hand, but the eldest brother barely tolerated it. Mogei didn't notice, she was too excited. Hanobi watched the brothers will blank eyes.

"Finally a villain! He lived with the brothers?" Mogei asked. Jacob answered this.

"He was sealed in the fireplace. If not for the brother's constant watch, he woudl have escaped."

"That wasn't very nice of their dad. Why didn't he stay to help them?" Hanobi asked. Daniel seamlessly resumed his story.

"It does seem like it, but their father lost his life to trap the fire demon. I don't think he meant for it to be cruel." Noah sniffed at Daniel's explanation and pulled Jacob with him towards the other brother in the completely silence that followed. Daniel continued.

"So everything was perfect. Or really, it wasn't perfect, but it was okay. And sometimes it seemed perfect. That was enough." Daniel grinned at this, and Noah settled in his lap. Jacob curled up behind his older brother, ignoring the look he was getting from Sasuke.

"Until one day, of course. The brothers hadn't left their house for quite some time, and they were tired. And while they were arguing-"

"- the demon escaped." Sasuke deadpanned. Daniel looked a little surprised the blackhaired boy was willing to be caught interested in something like this.

"And the brothers had to chase it. Along the way, they met lots of cool people, and sometimes they became traveling companions."

"Like who?" Mogei asked. Daniel paused, at a loss. Noah made a sound that was a cross between a click and chirp. Daniel's grin returned, his good mood restored.

"Of course. A dolphin. They met a dolphin, and old toad, a slug, a-"

"-a beautiful red-eyed wolf." Jacob added. Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. He was their best friend. And I think the fox wanted to take him as his wife." Daniel quipped, and Jacob grumbled. Mogei just looked confused.

"Aren't they both boys?" She asked. Jacob cut in again.

"One of them was a fox, and the other was a wolf. If they were still in love then, what does gender matter?" He said. Mogei didn't look convinced though, so Jacob added, "Besides, anything can happen in a fairy tale." Which was convincing to everyone but Sasuke.

Noah tugged on Daniel's sleave and signed,

Shika Daniel smacked his head.

"How could I forget. They also knew a dear. A lazy, genius dear." They eldest finished with an undignified snicker.

"Does this story have an ending?" Hanobi asked. Daniel looked a little embarrassed.

"Actually, no." All the children groaned, and Noah looked a little sad. "You see, it's part of my family. It's not really a fairy tale." Daniel tried to explain. Noah signaled

How do you think it should end? Hanobi, a quick study, caught the gist of his signs. She pursed her lips and thought.

"Well, since the problems started with the brothers fighting, it should end with them working together to beat the demon." She proclaimed smartly. Noach's expression brightened, but it fell again when Daniel, Jacob and Sasuke snorted. Curiously, Daniel glared at Sasuke, Sasuke glared at Jacob and Jacob glared at Daniel. Noah sighed, and started leading the girls out. They left quietly, not wanting to get in the middle of a argument. When they were gone Jacob sighed.

"Thank the gods that's over." He tilted his older brother's chin towards his own. "May I?"

Daniel nodded.

"Fine. Only because you need it." He grumbled. "I'm tired too you kn-" Jacob, a little impatient and a lot cranky, cut his brother off with a harsh liplock. Daniel rolled his eyes but was silent otherwise, returning the kiss.

Sasuke, who dreaded awkward social situations more than his brother's nail polish, turned several shades of mortified before finally settling on disturbed. When Jacob made a little humming sound before breaking off with a smack, Sasuke was forced to change that to really, really disturbed. And grossed out. Did he mention scared?  
Jacob had the pleased smile of someone who has just finished a very large meal, so he dragged himself to his futon. Daniel made a sound of disgust.

"What where you doing?"

"Mmmmh. Training."

"I figured." Daniel thought for a moment, then smacked his thigh. "Where you training with a Bunshin again?"

"Got it in one. It's not working right anymore. Damn clone looked like you and sounded like me." Jacob grumbled, and started groping around his futon. Noah held up a cylindrical object where he could see it, and the older boy grasped it and flipped it open. "Meh. Thanks No-chan." He muttered, then started to fiddle with his eyes.

Sasuke, who was being dragged kicking and screaming out of the sanctuary of shock, twitched reflectively.

"What. Was. That." He stated. Daniel raises and eyebrow at him. Noah pulled himself under the blankets of his futon, already sensing a conflict.

"Jake's got to take out his contacts. You've heard about those, right?" Daniel explained. Sasuke resisted the urge to smack his forehead, so he smacked Daniel's forehead instead.

"Dobe. I meant your base display of affection!" Sasuke clarified. Jacob was the only other occupant of the room to understand this.

"Me and my brothers share the same chakra. I was low so I borrowed some." Sasuke opened his mouth to argue but the redhead held up his hand. "I am aware transfers don't require such ... intimacy. However it does speed up the process, minimize chakra loss and, to be bluntly honest, I rather enjoy it." Sasuke twitched some more and glanced at Daniel to see his reaction. The grayhead started rummaging around for his pajamas and shrugged.

"Jerk. You should really tell me if you're beating yourself up to get hard off my sexiness."

Jacob sat up at this, sensing the teasing tone. "Hardly. Can I help it if one of the local ninja know I'm gay?"

"You just can't get any action outside family. Pathetic."

Jacob tackled him, sending his freshly perched glasses flying. The wrestling match that ensued was full of shouts and elbows. It altered it's focus to tickling when Noah emerged from his futon.

Sasuke sighed. Somehow those crazy Umuinos made everything okay. They were almost funny.

"-Fudgemuffin! Jake, I think you broke my wrist!"

"Come back here, you little creeper, and I'll break your other one!"

The blackhaired boy, all but forgotten, rolled his eyes and raced for the bathroom. Now way he was going to share it with these freaks.

* * *

a/n- (sighs) Yeah, I'm going to keep updating- but I can't promise you when. I'll have to get inspired, or some such. I think I just gave you all massive hintings about what Jake, Dan and No-chan are. I hope. And about the random yaoi- Sorry if that creeps you out. But it'snot incest. Trust me on this one. (sense another hint)

Anyway, thank you to my reviewers! (bows) I know there aren't a lot of you, but you guys rule.

Naino- (Grins) I know the feeling. Signing in is troublesome. I'm glad you like it! (laughs) Yay! Haku is cool

quaehah24- (blushes) Yay! I know it's obnoxiously confusing, I is sorry... (bows) (smirks) As far as your guessing, 'all of the above' would be correct. I plan on explaining that in depth in either the next chapter or the one following it.


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